February 2012

Thanks Vancouver – you’ve put us right up there with the VAG and the MOA for your top three public art gallery/museums in Vancouver, and we couldn’t be happier. From exciting talks about city planning and food resiliency to the opening of our upcoming exhibit on Art Deco fashion from the 1920s and 1930s, things just keep rolling along over here in Vanier Park and we’re so glad to be your museum for the curious.

As a special treat, some digging in our archives has revealed an interesting thread to Vancouver’s past. Did you know Vancouver was once home to a Toy Library? A brave venture that was left out to dry as it was unsupported by city council in 1973… Likely if Jim Green had been on council at the time, he would have made sure a legacy project like a Toy Co-operative would have prospered in Vancouver. With regrets we acknowledge Jim’s passing today, and recognize all the wonderful things he did for our city.

These days it seems our province is finding it very difficult to communicate with its people asnegotiations with the BC Teacher’s federation grow increasingly sticky. This might be a good time to announce the MOV is releasing applications for its second-ever Museum of Vancouver Youth Council this week!

It’s Museum Monday! There’s a crispy chill in the air and the thought of cherry blossoms to come . . . It makes me yearn for a sweet rose cloche like this lovely Vancouver-made millinery from the 1920s MOV collection. Want to stay ‘jazz hot’ and flapper fabulous? Learn to flirt in a ‘peek-a-boo’ cap or test your Charleston at a “Rhythm City Strut” - who's dancers will be performing at the opening night for “Art Deco Chic” (Opening March 8, 2012)…Then come celebrate your vintage swagger with us at the MOV.

Roughly five months into cataloguing and digitizing the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Legacy Collection, it can be stated that the process is a lot more exciting than it probably should be. Along with the torch Wayne Gretzky used to light the Olympic Cauldron and the racks of intricate costumes worn by performers in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, there are also boxes of paper material containing years of licenses, correspondences, and memos.

It’s a common assumption that paper material seldom equals gripping material. But among the inter-office scraps are pockets of brilliance, such as a collection of sketches and photographs used as inspiration for VANOC’s signature “Look of the Games”: the sweeping green and blue graphic vistas peppered with prototypically West Coast and urban motifs. It’s inspiring to leaf through a folder and see how hand cut stencils were incorporated into a design that became a second skin for Vancouver during the Games of 2010.

For the philatelists among us, international post bureau websites have been scoured to acquire information regarding Olympic issue stamps. Blindly trying to decipher Cyrillic characters on postage stamps quickly lost its novelty, but it’s fascinating to see which sports countries chose to depict. Seemingly few pandered to their Canadian host. Most stamps feature skiing, whether alpine or Nordic, over ice hockey. A personal favourite are those from Hungary, which rival the Vancouver 2010 mascots in terms of a sense of unbridled joy (or cuteness, if we’re going to get really technical).

Speaking of the mascots, we have become well versed in the surprisingly elaborate backstories of Quatchi, Miga, Sumi, and Mukmuk. This is in addition to charting their evolution from simple line drawings to 3D renderings to officially licensed Olympic merchandise and full-sized costumes.

While to date it has been fulfilling to discover these gems (we’ve got roughly another 1,200 objects to go), it would be a lie to say handling the medals and the torch hasn’t been a highlight. The medals are astoundingly heavy; frankly, it’s a wonder exhausted athletes didn’t crumple under their weight. Even more astonishing are the number of hands both the medals and the torch passed through, from their inception to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the nightly Victory Ceremonies.

Many of us watched as athletes bit down on their gold medals, or as the Olympic flame was passed from torch to torch. But not many of us got to watch as a print of an orca’s dorsal fin became a medal struck at the Royal Canadian Mint. The technical prints and sketches allow us to visualize the massive collective effort behind Vancouver’s Games of 2010. This is why the paper material ends up being much more gripping than one would initially expect.

We’ve been noticing an insurgence in activism across the city recently. Between resistance to the Endbridge pipeline, opposition to bill C-30, we’re wondering if Vancouverites are getting a little more riled up than usual? If so, we think it’s a riveting quality. This week’s MOVments reflect your inner-activist’s voice, and some neat public art!

According to Ontario, a three-bedroom house in Vancouver can be rented for a mere $621/month! Thankfully Vancouver’s Seth Klein and the CCPA are around to give Canadians thereal facts on poverty and livability in the city. Interestingly, Metro Vancouver is hosting a “Sustainability Community Breakfast” on affordable housing next week as part of their series. Soon, you may actually need these “food for thought” breakfasts, considering the outlook of the recently released provincial budget.

If you’re a tweeter, you’ve probably been following the hashtag #TellVicEverything with much laughter over the last week. Smiles aside, Bill C-30 is a serious issue that hasa lot of Canadians up in arms.

A new art installation on the theme of democracy is now set up outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. It’s called Hand Vote, and it gets our vote.

Equally outspoken is thistemporary urban gardenfrom Spain. The posting is a few months old, but quite beautiful and reminds us that tonight, the Re:Generation public dialogue continues on the theme of sustainability and Zero Waste. January’s talk on transit was really engaging and Wednesday’s talk is likely to impress!

A new radio show titled The City is now airing on UBC’s community radio station, CiTR. The City will look at urban issues ranging from housing policy to food security.

Roll out the red carpet and get your glam on… Art Deco Chic is coming to the MOV (March 8 through September 23).

Art Deco Chic: Extravagant Glamour Between the Wars features more than 60 women’s garments from the 1920s and 30s. Handpicked for their decadent beauty and exquisite craftsmanship, many of these garments boast couture labels like Chanel, Vionnet, Patou and Schiaparelli.

Notable Vancouver treasures include this black gown(right), worn to the opening of the Commodore ‘Cabaret’ in 1929. Handbags, hats, shoes, jewelry and dresses (like this golden sunburst flapper shift (below) illustrate the distinctive, sleek geometry of the Art Deco period.

If you just can’t wait to see what else we have in store, you can immerse yourself on a glittering night on the town here at the MOV for the Art Deco Chic Opening Night on Wednesday, March 7. [Note: The opening night is primarily for Members and VIPs, so a limited number of tickets are available for purchase, and must be bought online beforehand!].

Dress Code? Vintage glam of course! We’ll all be reveling in the sassy spirit of these roaring ‘boom and bust’ eras so this is your big chance to float into the room like a tall glass of champagne!

Hot vintage styling tips to get you ‘the deco look’

Attitudes & Inspirations…Think of rebellious young flappers…The exuberant movement of Josephine Baker…Sweet cinema darlings like Mary Pickford or Clara Bow (the original ‘it girl’)…The confident modernism of the Empire State Building…The bright lights of Broadway…The streamlined elegance of Coco Chanel and vintage Vogue couture …Mae West in all of her cheeky swagger…Jean Harlow dripping in long, cream satin and bombshell shine…Marlene Dietrich smoking in a tailored tux…Smoldering Greta Garbo or those famous Betty Davis eyes.

For a little extra inspiration, you can also check out these videos on 1930s hair and makeup.

Loved or loathed, it’s Valentines Day. While we work out our stance on ‘v-day’, one thing we do believe in at the MOV is reaching out, establishing new relationships, and constantly searching for that human connection. Since some shred of you likely believes in that too, we suggest you catch the final week of A Craigslist Cantata performed at the Arts Club Theatre by our friend Veda Hille.

On Loving… Vancouver Tourism has a new promotional tactic: high def music videos with local musicians. The video has some gorgeous panoramas of Vancouver – we’re wondering - does it has you convinced?

On leaving… Off to the Silicon Valley? We’re constantly interested in Vancouver’s ability to attract and produce a lot of talent. Apparently, according to the Tyee, we haven’t quite found an anchor to keep our entrepreneurs within city limits.

Sunny days have struck the city, slowly filling up parks and bike routes as we seek out that elusive vitamin D. Different story for Europe, however.Record-breaking temperature lows are sweeping westward and causing much grief for the continent.

The good weather might even have you brainstorming fun summer building projects, in which case you might be interested in applying for a VIVA Vancouver public space invigoration grant. Ever been to the “Parallel Park” bench on Main and E.14th? Your proposal could easily be the next best sidewalk extension project. Applications due Feb 14!

“My own theory about Vancouver is that we’re all at our best when we’re experimenting with new ideas, and we’re at our worst when we ape the conventions of other places.” He said at the Cities Summit last week.

The Vancouver Design Nerds are listening, and they want you to help them transform Vancouver’s public spaces this Thursday evening at City Studio. And you really should – if only to partake in a “Nerd Jam”. Our MOV Youth Council had the chance to hang out with the Design Nerds last spring and ended up yarnbombing the crab outside the MOV!

Still not convinced that there are people trying to create opportunities for creativity? Last on our list this week, DOXA International Film Festival has just released their call for young women to participate in the Youth Connexions Forum, which offers two weeks of intensive film workshops in the beginning of May. At the MOV, we can’t stress enough the importance of being able to tell a good story, and certainly encourage you to apply. Here is one of our fave short doxa flicks: Love Life

Down in the basement of MOV, we’ve been assembling a strange collection of female forms. These mannequins and body forms will wear glamorous garments in the upcoming Art Deco Chic exhibition opening March 8, 2012. However, in the meantime they are naked and exposed in all their bodily eccentricities.

We’ve been challenged to find mannequins that are the right size and shape to wear clothing from the 1920s and 1930s. Luckily, guest curators Ivan Sayers and Claus Jahnke collect vintage mannequins along with vintage clothing. Ivan’s 1920s mannequin was made by the firm of Pierre Imans of Paris. She has a beautifully modeled wax face, while her torso is wrapped in coarse muslin. You would not mistake her for a man, but possibly for a thirteen-year old girl. Her breasts are barely there, her waist minimal, and hips very slim. Her straight up and down figure was the ideal 1920s female body, designed to fit the era’s straight-cut, sack-like garments (more noted for their surface decoration than for their shaping).

Claus has a lovely mannequin from the late 1930s made by Fery-Boudrot of Paris (we’ve taken to calling her “the blonde”). She will wear an elegant outfit made in Germany or Austria, the areas in which Claus specializes. Many of the 1930s evening dresses depend for effect on flowing drapery and scarves. The backs of the dresses were especially elaborate so that the wearer looked good on the dance floor. We look forward to posing the blonde and her companions to show off these late 1930s garments to best advantage.

We turned to Kevin Smith from Arm & a Leg Mannequins Rental to help make up the numbers for the exhibit (which will have between 66 and 71 garments — the debates are still raging). Kevin provided a group of Rootstein figures from the 1990s with strongly modeled faces and moulded hair. First we tried evening dresses from the 1930s on the Rootsteins, but the dresses only came down to their shins. At 6’ tall, the Rootsteins are all leg. This led us to try garments from the late 1920s. By the late 1920s, the idea was to abbreviate the garment and show lots of leg. The classic flapper-style garments look great on these elegant Amazons.

The non-vintage mannequins will be painted a neutral colour (the exhibition designers, Matt Heximer and Sue Lepard from 10four Design Group, choose Benjamin Moore’s “Mannequin Cream”). Right now a crew headed by museum fabrication coordinator Dave Winstanley are sanding, priming, and spray painting the contemporary mannequins. We have to wind our way through a maze of bodies to have a word with Dave these days. He appears unimpressed by his female companions, and as he carefully sprays a selection of female arms dangling from the painting rack he points out the nearby “hand rail”, a long board that holds a hands upright for easy spraying.

If all goes well, our meticulous prep work will be invisible to visitors once the exhibition opens to the public on March 8. The point is to focus you on the amazing clothes, while the armature of display fades into the background.